


Our Children

by kingburu



Series: Olympus University [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:46:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24528604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingburu/pseuds/kingburu
Summary: Nico’s gaze narrows and he scowls irritably. “Your children think we’re dating.”“I have children?” Jason manages to ask.Of course, Nico’s scowl only gets deeper. “You’re missing the point.”“I’m sorry,” Jason repeats, “I wasn’t aware that I had children.”“Your class. Whatever students of mine that are also yours.” Nico taps his foot into the ground, seething—and while Jason thinks he probably shouldn’t push his luck, he’s still a bit disoriented from Nico’s unceremonious entrance and irate expression.“So…our kids.”--Alternatively: Professor di Angelo is determined to squash a rumor.Notget a date.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Jason Grace
Series: Olympus University [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1772662
Comments: 4
Kudos: 157





	Our Children

Jason nearly chokes on his brownie when Nico unceremoniously barges into his office. He brushes the crumbs off of the papers that he’s grading, pushes his glasses up his nose, and tries to look composed. “Uh, yeah?”

(He’d feel less frightened if Nico wasn’t giving him such a dirty look.)

Nico’s gaze narrows and he scowls irritably. “Your children think we’re dating.”

“I have children?” Jason manages to ask.

Of course, Nico’s scowl only gets deeper. “You’re missing the point.”

“I’m sorry,” Jason repeats, “I wasn’t aware that I had children.”

“Your _class._ Whatever students of mine that are also _yours._ ” Nico taps his foot into the ground, seething—and while Jason thinks he probably shouldn’t push his luck, he’s still a bit disoriented from Nico’s unceremonious entrance and irate expression.

“So… _our_ kids.”

If it wasn’t for the no-bullying policy, Jason’s certain Nico would smack him. Nico’s demeanor shifts, looking ready to _kill_ Jason—but he reels whatever aggression he has back in and sighs. “Did you catch the _last_ part of that?”

“The part where we’re dating,” Jason confirms. “Er—not dating, I mean.”

“And what do you intend to do about it?” Nico seethes. He stands firm, feet planted to the ground and arms crossed.

“I…ask you on a real date?” The response comes out as a question directed towards himself than to Nico. Jason would smack himself if he wasn’t already in a tricky situation—he’s never been good at asking people out.

Besides—the way Nico’s scowl only manages to get bigger tells Jason that Nico wouldn’t be interested in the prospect of dating anyway. Nico facepalms—legitimately smacking his forehead with his own hand. “I’m sure your wife wouldn’t be too happy with that, Professor Grace.”

If Jason was still eating his sandwich, he’d be choking. Instead, he guffaws on his own spit and his jaw drops. “My _what_?”

Nico pauses. His irritation comes to a direct halt and he looks confused instead. Then cutely reluctant. “Don’t you have a wife?”

He points to a picture on Jason’s desk, and Jason bursts into laughter.

“Oh my _god_ , _no—_ that’s my _sister._ ” Jason heaves, clutching his ribs after they start aching from laughing.

On cue, Lupa awakens from the crate under Jason’s desk. She yawns cutely and stretches, then paws Jason’s shin. He scoops her up in one arm and cradles her gently as she turns around and barks excitedly at Nico.

“This,” he says, “is Lupa. She’s the closest thing that I have to a _girlfriend_ right now.”

Nico stares. And stares.

“We’re very personal,” Jason continues, and grins as Lupa licks his face. “I watch her go potty and vice versa.”

“You did _not_ just say the word ‘ _potty.’_ ”

Jason shrugs. He smiles, eyebrows up excitedly in a way that mimics Lupa’s own cheeriness.

Again, Nico only stares at Jason, like the latter’s grown a second head. His cheeks are a little pink—embarrassed, maybe, from the wife accusation—and his shoulders lax. “That’s the dog in the picture you sent me a few weeks ago.”

“She’s doing better,” Jason assures. “But she gets separation anxiety when I’m gone too long. I’ve been spending my breaks with her.”

“Oh,” Nico says dumbly. Cutely, despite being a professor of twenty-nine. His mouth twitches, expression still as far away as you can get from happy and amused. “It’s very unprofessional to be sending your colleagues pictures of your dog.”

“Oh—here then—here’s my number.” Jason sets Lupa down and scribbles his name and number on a free slip of paper. He rips it—before realizing that the _free slip_ was actually part of a term paper he was grading.

Nico notices immediately. He snorts. “You should probably be more cautious of who you give your phone number to.”

“Could be worse. I could’ve put it on my syllabus.” Jason waves the paper around and grins. “Keep it. You know—for emergencies and stuff.”

“Emergencies.” Nico twitches. “Like your dog.”

“Like my dog,” Jason echoes in agreement.

Lupa happily trots over to Nico and plants herself in front of him. Her tail wags back and forth and she barks. Nico look reluctant before getting down on one knee and petting her.

He looks a little embarrassed, but no more quiet than usual. Jason thinks Nico must’ve gotten himself worked up to yell at Jason for being a pseudo-couple in the eyes of their students—which quickly deflated after Thalia was mentioned.

(Gee—even when she’s on the other side of the country, Thalia still manages to cockblock him.)

“So, uh.” Jason taps his hand against the table and tugs on the collar of his shirt. “I have to take Lupa out on a walk so she can stretch her legs. Do you wanna get some coffee at the union afterwards?”

He waits, heart pounding in his chest. Nico stares back at him, arms crossed over his chest. He says nothing at first. Then, “It’s also unprofessional to go out with a colleague outside of a formal work setting.”

Jason’s heart sinks. “Oh.”

“Let me grab my coat.”

“What? Really?”

A smile curls against Nico’s lips. He leaves and exits out the door towards his own office.

Lupa happily scampers after him.

*

“So you’re not married,” Nico asks him once they start their walk. It’s a little muggy—the campus is damp from three consecutive days of rain, and with October ending, it’s becoming chillier.

Jason thinks he likes it better than San Francisco. He likes to sit by the window on days like these and just fall asleep, curled up with his dogs. “No—but my stepmom’s been getting on my case about settling down soon and starting a family. I keep telling her that I’m not ready.”

They stop, so Lupa can tinkle on the school fountain and lick a nearby puddle.

Nico stuffs his hands in his pockets and arches an eyebrow. “What’s stopping you?”

“Having a life-long companionship with someone who knows me inside and out versus the bountiful amount of the colleagues’ daughters that she’d like to set me up with,” Jason jokes without missing a beat. He chuckles softly under his breath and shakes his head. “And I haven’t found the right person yet.”

“Person?” Nico repeats, though Jason realizes Nico isn’t purposefully clinging to the word. It’s genuine curiosity.

“She’d rather that any kids I have are blood-related and I settle down with a girl,” Jason explains. “But if I end up meeting a nice guy and he wants to adopt, I’m okay with that being the option too.”

He doesn’t miss the way Nico perks at the explanation and holds his breath as he tries to read it. Nico’s eyebrows are up behind his bangs, but he doesn’t look…grossed out.

“Ah,” Nico mumbles instead, “that’s…really cool of you.”

“Yeah.” Jason sighs in relief. “What about you? Any plans of settling down?”

The question comes at the risk of getting shot. Jason once asked Reyna the best way to talk to Nico, and she’d informed him that he was a very private person. If Nico was willing to talk to you outside of class, then you were definitely in his good graces.

That being said, Nico’s expression twists, like he’s unsure of whether or not he wants to divulge an answer. He shrugs. “I…dated one of the professors in the medical college for a while. He…wanted to settle down as soon as we could and get married and start a family. I…uh. I didn’t.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be.” Nico’s lips tighten into a flat line. He doesn’t expand upon that, but Jason regrets asking. He can tell it must be a sore subject.

“He clearly wasn’t the right guy if he didn’t want to wait,” Jason says soothingly. He moves to put a hand on Nico’s shoulder and the latter smoothly slides away.

“I don’t like people touching me very much,” Nico explains. He looks nervous, and Jason feels worse for bringing it up. “But you’re right. Thank you. If…I couldn’t say yes to him at the prospect of getting married, then I wouldn’t be able to say yes to him at the altar.”

“Would you ever get married now?” Jason asks before he can help himself. “In the future, I mean?”

Nico looks a little annoyed at Jason’s pressing, but answers anyway. “Maybe. If…it was the right guy.”

“Then I hope you find him soon.” Jason means it as sincerely as possible. He keeps himself from saying, _I hope it’s me._

“Thank you.” Nico doesn’t look any less uncomfortable, but seems genuinely touched by Jason’s words. He smiles awkwardly, lips curling gently as he looks up to Jason. His skin is pale, blending into the dreariness of the weather, but flushed with sanguine in his cheeks.

Jason can’t help but like that red glow (and worry if Nico’s eating enough.)

“There’s the union,” he says, surprised he isn’t tripping over his own words.

“Oh,” Nico says, surprised. “Yeah.”

They welcome the subject change gratefully, but Jason doesn’t think he ever wants to stop talking to Nico. 


End file.
